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New furniture with carefully balanced proportions

As bathrooms are increasingly becoming personal havens of relaxation and regeneration, our demands for comfort and a welcoming atmosphere are also growing. As a visual link between ceramics and the bathtub, one’s choice in bathroom furniture has a decisive influence on the overall mood of the bathroom. When developing its latest “Ketho” range of bathroom furniture, Duravit thus chose to collaborate with a prominent furniture designer: Christian Werner.

Born in Berlin, Werner is one of the most successful furniture designers in recent years. His high-profile work includes a range of storage furniture for Ligne Roset and sofas for Rolf Benz. Recently, the designer developed an interest in fashion design and developed the ZOE shoe, a completely new and sensual design for platform wedges. When he turned his attention to the bathroom, sensuality was again top of his agenda. “Today, people are no longer uptight about personal hygiene. Personal hygiene has become a pleasurable focus of attention and so, in turn, has the bathroom. It has become a sensory space for regeneration, somewhere that we enjoy spending time,” said Werner. With this as his starting point, he started to “think furniture into the bathroom” and searched for a lasting aesthetic that would embody his theory – in a succinct way.

Symbiosis of reduction and refinement

The result is a complete range of bathroom furniture featuring 44 compact elements of simple elegance with which many people can identify. The range is characterized by sleek, rectangular forms with a filigree frame measuring just 1,6 cm (0.6”) in thickness, giving a special subtlety to the range. Thanks to a special aluminium bracing, the 1,6 cm (0.6”) frame can even support a width of up to 140 cm (55”), thus enabling balanced proportions, regardless of size.

Another feature of the range is a continuous aluminium strip handle that runs along the cabinets at rhythmical intervals. The strip elongates the lines of the furniture, making the elements appear even more streamlined and elegant. Also unique: recessing located between the wooden surfaces. This makes for more comfortable use, as it allows for the units to be opened either via the upper or lower part of the handle. On the tall cabinets, these handles run vertically.

A variety of décors highlight Ketho’s refined form: white, basalt and graphite add subtlety, whereas garnet red creates a powerful blaze of colour. The matte structure of the surfaces makes them pleasant to the touch, a property that is mirrored in the design of the bath panelling. Overall, Ketho offers consistent design throughout, creating an attractive, balanced appearance.

From wall shelf to integrated console

Ketho includes everything from a small wall shelf and flexible mobile storage unit to practical cabinets, both tall and low, that offer a generous amount of storage space. The vanity units prove particularly versatile: five different vanity units are available in widths ranging from 40 to 120 cm (15 ¾” to 47 ¼”) for combination with the Starck 3 furniture washbasins. The range also includes options measuring 80 and 100 cm (31 ½” and 39 3/8”) wide for the D-Code furniture washbasins. If console and built-in basins are required, a vanity unit with a fully integrated console provides the ultimate solution. Thanks to its dual function, this piece provides the perfect platform for designing individual washing areas with wash bowls, console basins or built-in washbasins. With or without the integrated console, vanity washbasins always offer a choice of one or two drawers. Mirrors and mirrored cabinets in matching widths add the finishing touch to the range. With their individually adjustable glass shelves, the mirrored cabinets in particular offer valuable storage space. For those who prefer their cabinets with handles, these are enclosed and can be easily screw-mounted.

SoftClose function and tested standards

The Ketho furniture range is robust and durable in every respect. All items of furniture feature comprehensive melamine resin protection and bonded, waterproof edges. Thanks to the integrated SoftClose function with silicon end dampers, doors always close smoothly and quietly and, in so doing, spare both the user’s fingers and the material. The illuminated mirrors and mirror cabinets are tested and certified in accordance with the IP 44 international safety standard. For the user, this means: the products are splash-proof and can be fitted closer to bathtubs and showers – thus making economical use of the available space. And – they are easy to operate via infrared sensor. Thanks to an integrated 3-way switch, the lights can also be operated via other switches, and, for example, fitted next to the bathroom door. Every detail of the furniture range aims to ensure that the user can identify with and enjoy it and throughout the lifetime of the bathroom.

This solves a tricky problem for the designer. According to Werner, “We tend to keep a bathroom even longer than the kitchen and longer than any sofa or dining table. This means there is a strong need for certainty. The certainty of knowing that we won’t tire too quickly of looking at it. For this reason, Ketho furniture doesn’t shout out ‘hello, here I am’ but, with its clear contours, succinct proportions and fine colours, it makes an elegant contribution to the harmony of the room as a whole.”